There is Always Hope
by Terrenis
Summary: AU...Ianto Jones gets an unusual request from his ex-wife to escort an acquaintance of her abroad. Only he didn’t know that this acquaintance is a man from the future, a very pregnant man...
1. Prologue

There's always Hope

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By Terrenis-chan

E-Mail: Terrenis(a)

Part: Prologue/?

Rating: M (just to be sure)

Pairing: Jack/Ten, mild Janto, past Ianto/Lisa, maybe Janto/Ten

Warning: very AU, very OOC, mpreg, a tiny bit of fluff, bad Gwen, character death…

Summary: In a world, where women don't seem to be capable of having children anymore, Ianto Jones gets an unusual request from his ex-wife to escort an acquaintance of her abroad. Only he didn't know that this acquaintance is a man from the future, a very pregnant man...

Disclaimer: Unfortunately nothing does belong to me, but to their respective owners. If they were mine, I would be so happy. *sighs and sniffs*

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Hi!

This is my first attempt at a Torchwood/Doctor Who fic, ever since I got into that fandom a year ago.

This particular one is some sort of weird Torchwood/Doctor Who/Children of Men Crossover. Unfortunately this strange plot bunny attacked me some time ago and won't let go of me ever since. So I decided to write at least a prologue to see if you like the idea. Please let me know if you like it or not, so that I can decide to continue it or not.

Oh and don't read it if you're a Gwen fan. She's not a nice person in this fic.

Enjoy it!!!

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The sky was grey and covered with dark clouds, from which heavy rain was pouring down to earth. Only a few people hurried through the almost empty streets of Cardiff, while others, mostly older folks, sat huddled together in cafés or pubs, drinking and watching the news.

But it wasn't only the streets that just looked a little than deserted. Even the normally crowded Plass lacked any sign of life, except a few older folks, who didn't seem to care about such things like rain or something similar.

So no one really noticed when all of a sudden a strange blue police box materialized out of the blue in front of the impressive water tower and a few minutes later one of the door opened and a young, brown-haired man who was clad in a brown suit, stuck his head out, taking in his surroundings. Suddenly grinning, he made a move to retreat backwards into his spaceship, because that's what it was, when an amused male voice with a heavy American accent rang out from behind.

"So, where are we, Doc?" the owner of said voice, who just happened to be a gorgeous black-haired man with beautiful blue eyes, asked.

The Doctor grinned at his companion.

"Exactly where I wanted to!" he exclaimed happily.

The other man chuckled.

"Really? That would be a first!"

"Hey! You know how she's like! So you better watch your tongue, Jack Harkness, or we'll leave this planet faster than you can say Rexicoricophalavitorius!" the Doctor said in mock anger.

Jack shook his head and placed a hand onto the Doctor's shoulder.

"Calm down! I was just joking. But I'd really like to know why you're so excited about being here!"

The Doctor grinned and stepped aside to make some room for Jack so that the younger man could take a look for himself.

Jack poked his dark-haired head out of the door of the spaceship, glancing slowly around.

"Hmmm, at least it looks civilised this time, unlike the last planet we ended up."

"Come on, it had a very nice jungle."

"Sure. That whole damn planet was one single rain forest. And you forgot to mention those mosquitoes in the size of my head which chased us nine hours through that hell!"

Jack glowered at his brown-haired companion before turning his attention back to the sight in front of him and at last stepped out of the ship into the rain.

He began to smile and closed his eyes, letting the rainwater pouring down on him. It was such a different feeling, but a nice one.

"I assume you like it here." The Doctor asked with a grin on his face.

"That's a stupid question. So, where are we?" Jack replied.

"Well, we didn't end up where I had planned. But at least we're on the right planet and on the right continent."

"Dooc!" Jack said warningly.

"Alright, alright! Our current destination is Cardiff, Wales, UK, Europe, Earth, Solar System, Milky Way!" the brown-haired man exclaimed without making a pause, causing Jack to stare at him.

"What? Do I have something on my face or why are you staring at me?" he called out, when he noticed the stare Jack gave him.

"No, it's just…I'm just amazed that you are capable of speaking without taking a single breath."

The doctor shrugged his shoulders.

"What can I say? It's a natural talent."

"I see."

For a moment, there was silence between both men, before both began to chuckle. It took them several minutes to calm down. Then the Doctor closed the door of the blue box, while Jack started taking in his surroundings

"So this is Earth. When I was young, I always imagined what it'd be like to be here."

"And is it good?"

Jack faced the doctor, a bright smile on his face.

"No. It's much better. Words cannot describe what I'm feeling right now!" he exclaimed happily.

The Time Lord shook his head, the whole time chuckling to himself. Now he was more than ever convinced that bringing Jack here had been indeed one of his best ideas, especially after the events of the past few weeks.

Although there was something here that disturbed him deeply. He hadn't paid much attention to it until now, because Jack had demanded all of it. But now that he also got a closer look at his surroundings, he could feel a certain tension lying in the air. It was as if something was just waiting to erupt any moment.

Maybe it had to do with that rift the TARDIS had discovered shortly before their landing and which bore a striking resemblance to the one in the Medusa Cascade. This rift seemed to spread across all over the city and he had no idea if it was stable or not. That was one of many things he'd have to check out later, because there was something else which had changed drastically since his last visit on this planet.

But not now. For now he'd see that he and Jack would enjoy this extended vacation and make it unforgettable.

Jack's squeal pulled him out of his train of thoughts and he stared questioningly at his friend/lover.

"Seen something you like?" the Time Lord asked amused.

"You bet! Just look over there! Can't you see the sea and smell the water? It's great."

"Really? I didn't notice." The Doctor said with a raised eyebrow.

"Doooc!" Jack almost whined.

The doctor raised his hands in defence. Then he stepped closer to Jack and linked his arm with the dark-haired man's arm, putting a loving kiss on Jack's forehead.

"Sorry about the bad joke. I just couldn't help myself. Of course I did notice. After all, it isn't my first visit on this planet."

Jack leaned closer to his lover.

"Okay, I forgive you one last time. Just don't do it again!" he said in mock hurt.

The Doctor smiled, knowing that he was forgiven.

"I promise I'll try my best. Why don't we take a little walk on the pier and I tell all about our next stop? I know this tiny little place in Italy, that's the name of the country by the way, and there they have this city called Venice. There are lots of water channels running the entire city ………"

The Doctor's voice slowly faded as both men strolled towards the pier.

°oOo°

Ianto Jones stared sadly and unbelievingly at the official papers in his hand, all of them now wet and drenched by the rain. He had known for quite a while that this day would come sooner or later. But now that he was here… He couldn't believe it.

"So this is it?" he asked the dark-skinned woman, who was sitting next to him on a bench near the pier.

"It seems so. But you knew this was bound to happen and we both agreed that it would the best for either of us." She answered.

Ianto sighed. She was right as usual.

"Sorry. It's just…so unreal, Lisa. I always imagined that we would grow old together, seeing our children having our grandchildren. Not this…" he exclaimed almost hysterical and close to tears now, pointing to some invisible spot on the water.

"Calm down, Ianto! I know how you feel. But there's nothing I can do anymore. Too much has happened in the last few years, so let's face the facts. There isn't an "us" anymore and you have to accept that." Lisa answered, now also staring at the bay.

For several minutes neither of them moved nor spoke a word. Finally Ianto tried another approach.

"I'm sorry for earlier. I just can't help it. I mean, can't we just…?"

"Ianto! No! Please don't make things more difficult as they already are. I know you are more than unhappy with this situation but it's for the best, no matter if you like it or not! Maybe if things had turned out different…."

"I know!"

Ianto sighed loudly.

Lisa smiled slightly and put a hand on his shoulder.

"So what are you going to do now? You said you took a week off!" she finally asked.

The Welshman shrugged his shoulders.

"Going back to London, I suppose. Maybe I'll pay a short visit to Owen and Tosh. I haven't seen them in a while. "

"That's great! Give them my love when you see them!" the dark-skinned woman said, when all of a sudden her mobile started to ring und she of course answered it immediately.

"Hallett?"

"……..."

Ianto sighed, but resisted the sudden urge to roll his eyes in an overdramatically fashion. Typical Torchwood! Always interrupting in the most inappropriate moment!

"Okay, I'm down in a few minutes. Watch the monitor until I'm back and call me if there any changes! The same goes for Martha. I don't want anything to blow up! See you in a moment." she said and ended the call.

"Trouble at work?" Ianto asked her.

Lisa chuckled.

"No more than usual! Just the normal Rift activity! Besides, Martha needs something from the Archives and as you might know, I'm the only one who has permission to retrieve it. You know Yvonne and her ridiculous rules."

"Unfortunately, yes! Well, then I better go and let you work in peace." The Welshman said and got up.

The dark-skinned woman followed his example. They shook hands and then, out of the blue, Lisa pulled her ex-husband into a big hug.

"Good bye, Ianto! And don't be a stranger! I expect to hear from you at least once a week." She said, releasing him from her firm grip.

Ianto smiled and mock saluted.

"Yes ma'am!"

Then his face became serious again.

"But we're still friends, aren't we, Lisa?" he asked hesitantly.

Lisa chuckled and shook her head.

"Of course we are, silly! And as long as you want! But I really have to go now. See you!" she said.

Ianto hugged her one last time before he let go of her and she started to walk off towards a small door at the pier.

"Bye!" he said to her retreating back, watching her until he couldn't see her anymore.

Sighing, he threw a last glance at the door, through which his now ex-wife had vanished and then turned to go back to the car park. Only in addition he noticed that it finally had stopped raining.

°oOo°

Jack and the Doctor finally reached the seaside, after crossing a completely empty square. Only a young man with brown hair and somehow sad eyes, who was completely dressed in black, had walked past them, staring at them as if they were aliens or something similar.

Jack had also stared after him and couldn't help but giggle internally. If the man only knew how right he was with his statement.

Walking to the end of the pier, still arm in arm, Jack couldn't help but being happy when he took in the breathtaking sight in front of him. And the smell…The dark-haired man closed his eyes and took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh, salty smell of the sea.

It was indescribable. Just a few metres beneath his feet were myriads of litres of dark blue liquid and with himself coming from a relatively dry planet, Jack couldn't even imagine what it was like to be surrounded every day by those amounts.

Letting go of the Doctor's arm, he knelt down on the woodened ground and stretched out his right arm, as if trying to touch the cold water. But in the next moment, he simply sat down, letting his legs dangle from the edge and stared dreamingly at the horizon. The Doctor followed his example and sat down close to Jack, his hands touching the younger man's hands.

After sitting like this for what seems like an eternity, Jack began to speak again.

"You know, I could stay here like this forever, all day and night!" he said quietly, his blue eyes never leaving the ocean.

The Doctor chuckled.

"Nah, we don't have that much time. But I guess an hour or two won't hurt, maybe take a walk into the city centre before we move on to our next destination." He suggested.

Jack nodded approvingly.

"I'd like that very much!"

Both men sat there for a few more minutes before they at last got up and slowly went back to the Plass.

But before they reached it the Doctor suddenly stopped and looked around as if he heard something.

"Is something wrong?" Jack asked when he noticed it.

"I don't know. I have this sudden itch in my brain, as if a million ants are running over it. It makes me really nervous."

Jack sighed.

"In other words…you think something is going on and would like to check it out in the TARDIS."

"Ahem, yes. If you don't mind…!"

Jack just shook his head.

"Then go. Just don't let me wait too long or I might change my mind about this Venice." He gave in with a smile.

The Time Lord beamed and gave the dark-haired man a loving kiss.

"Thank you so much. I'll be back quickly!" he promised.

"Just be careful!" Jack whispered back.

"Hey, I always am!"

"Sure!" Jack replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes in an overly dramatically fashion.

But the Doctor knew he had Jack's permission and bounced happily his way back to the TARDIS.

°oOo°

On his way back over the empty Plass, Ianto passed by two beaming men, one with dark hair and wearing a dark blue coat, the other man with brown hair and wearing a brown, striped suit, their arms linked as if they were a couple.

'Well, at least someone is happy, although they should be more careful with their openly display. There are certain groups and organisations which don't tolerate the idea of same sex relationships.' He thought, while eyeing the couple secretly.

Ianto knew he shouldn't do that. But he couldn't help himself. Somehow his eyes were drawn to them as he watched them go to the end of the pier. Then the dark-haired one knelt down and tried to touch the water, as if he had never seen anything like this before, then simply sat down and let his legs dangle from the edge. The other man sat down next to him and touched his partner's hand.

It looked damn intimate and Ianto couldn't help but feel a tiny spark of jealousy in his heart.

It was strange, but to him, both men seemed more than a little bit out of place, especially the brown-haired man. They looked too happy. No one on this planet had been happy for years.

Not since…

Seeing the men coming back, he quickly turned and walked on, not wanting to get caught spying by them. It didn't last long until he reached the car park and his own black vehicle. He opened it and got into the driver's seat. Fastening his seat belt and gripping the steering wheel tightly, he took a deep breath before he turned the ignition key and started.

Pulling out of the parking space, he left the car park and in less than fifteen minutes he was on his way back to London.

°oOo°

The Doctor was less than five minutes away when Jack did grow a little bit bored as it always happened when the Time Lord wasn't there. He waited for a few more minutes before he decided to join his lover in the ship. But as soon as Jack had stood up, he frowned.

The atmosphere around the Plass had somehow changed. He could feel a certain tension lying in the air. Maybe the Doctor had been right. Something terrible was about to happen and they both would be right in the middle. That was when he heard the rumble, which became louder with every passing second.

And then all hell broke loose. The earth began to shake violently so that the dark-haired man had difficulties to stay on his feet. On the ground he could see the first cracks appear from th street up to the water tower.

Nevertheless, Jack did the first thing which came to his mind. He started to run as fast as he could to get back to the TARDIS and the Doctor who must have noticed the disturbances by now.

But when he reached the water tower, Jack was blinded by a bright white light, which surrounded the silver obelisk and shot up wards into the clouded sky, illuminating it in a very strange way. From the water tower himself came a metallic, screeching sound, followed by various bits and pieces of silver metal crashing down to the earth, which barely missed the dark-haired man.

Jack could see that the door of the TARDIS opened and the Doctor was standing there, obviously looking for him. They locked eyes for a moment and Jack let out a deep breath. The Lord was alright.

"Doc, what's happening here?" Jack shouted over the noise the earthquake caused.

"I don't know, but we better get out of here as quick as we can. That rift, which the TARDIS detected when we arrived, must have been opened. Can you try to get here? I don't think we should stay here longer than necessary." The Doctor shouted back.

Jack agreed silently and just tried to cover the remaining distance between him and the blue telephone box in a fast pace when the sound from the water tower became unbearable loud and seconds later the dark-haired man watched with horrified eyes the silver obelisk collapsing, burying the TARDIS underneath it.

"Nooooo!" Jack screamed and sprinted forwards.

But he didn't come far. The shock wave, which the collapse of the water tower had caused, swept him literally off his feet and he was flung several metres backwards, where he hit the ground hard.

Losing consciousness rapidly, Jack even didn't have the strength to cry out anymore because of the pain he was in. The last thing he remembered were the two pairs of hands grabbing him and pulling him away, before everything went black.

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Well, it's done. That's the prologue of my second Torchwood story. Took me only 5 months to write (sorry, major writer's block!). I have another prologue posted in the Crossover section. Just look in the Highlander section.

Do you like it? Do you hate it? Want more? Just write me. Reviews are much appreciated.

^^ Terrenis


	2. Unexpected Reunions

There's always Hope

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By Terrenis-chan

Chapter I – Unexpected Reunions

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8 months later.

Torchwood London.

A brown-haired young man in a black suit, carrying a brief case of the same colour, entered the building through one of the revolving doors and walked into the foyer. Greeting various people, he made his way to the lifts. He paused for a moment to take a small card out of his breast pocket and held it in front of a small scanner.

It beeped barely audible and one second later the lift doors opened and the young man stepped into the lift, pushing the button for his floor and setting the lift into motion.

Moments later, it stopped and the doors opened. The man stepped out, but stopped when he heard someone calling his name.

"Hey Ianto, wait a minute!"

Ianto turned his head and saw one of his friends, who worked in another department on of the upper floors, hurrying towards him and smiled.

"Hello Matt! When did you get back? I thought you'd be gone much longer than two months!" he asked, shaking his friend's hand.

"Well, I've been here since midnight. We got lucky and managed to finish our work much earlier. But I'm glad I did catch you here! There's something I have to tell you." Matt said in a serious voice.

The Welshman raised an eyebrow at his friend's unusual behaviour, but didn't comment it.

"Okay, let's go to my office. We can talk there without interruption." He finally said and gestured for Matt to follow him.

Both men walked through a large storage area, where Ianto noticed several crates, which hadn't been there the day before. The area itself was still empty, since most of Ianto's fellow colleagues would only arrive in an hour. His office was located on the other side of the area and Ianto and Matt walked in, sitting down on a couch near the desk and making themselves comfortable.

"So, what's bothering you? Has something happened while you were away? I've never seen you like this before."

"I know and I'm sorry. I'm just tired. First of all, Yvonne wants you to unpack and categorise all items from the crates we passed. Surely you've noticed them." Matt explained.

"Of course I have. But somehow I have the feeling there's more to it."

Matt chuckled, but became serious again.

"You're right as usual. I wanted to tell you what I did in the last two months. I know it's still a sensitive topic but…Ianto, those crates contain everything from the archives of Torchwood 3. I and some other guys from my department have spent the last months in what is left of Cardiff, scouring the underground base for any artefacts."

Ianto had paled visibly, when Matt had mentioned Cardiff and Torchwood 3. The other man had been right when he said that this topic was sensitive, at least for Ianto.

"Ianto, are you alright?"

Matt's voice jerked the Welshman out of his train of thoughts and he looked at his friend.

"Yeah, I'm fine! Sorry! Did you…I mean…?" Ianto stammered, not wanting to ask if they had found Lisa's body, already in an advanced stage of decay.

"No, we didn't find any bodies, just piles of ashes within their clothes. It seems that they were burned alive at the moment of the outbreak. I know the thought isn't comforting but I personally think that it was over quickly at least and they didn't suffer." Matt replied.

Ianto just nodded numbly, although the thought of Lisa burning to death sent shivers down his spine. No one should have to die like that.

"But why did you go back there now?" he finally asked.

Matt sighed.

"I don't know the further details but it has to do with that infertility virus which is raging all over the planet. Yvonne seems to think that there might have been anything in Torchwood 3's archives that could be used against it. By the way, that was the reason why she called Lisa that day. But then the Rift opened and you know the rest of the story."

Suddenly it started to beep and Matt glanced at his watch.

"Oh, I have to go now. We can talk later. How about tonight in our usual place?" he asked and got up from the couch, squeezing slightly Ianto's shoulder when this one showed no reaction.

"Okay?" Matt asked again.

This time Ianto just nodded and the other man smiled slightly.

"Everything's going to be alright. See you later!"

"See you!" Ianto finally said and also got up, shaking his friend's hand.

Matt then turned and prepared to leave the office. But he abruptly stopped and fetched an envelope from within his breast pocket and gave it to Ianto.

"I almost forgot to give you this! I found it in her office." He said.

The Welshman looked with a curious expression first at him, then at the envelope and opened it. His eyes began to sparkle at the sight in front of him. It was a photo of him and Lisa, taken shortly before their break-up. It was slightly burned at the edges, but otherwise undamaged.

"I knew you'd like it."

"Thank you! I'll see you tonight." Ianto said, giving his friend a short, thankful hug.

"My pleasure. See you!" Matt said, while the other man laid the photo on his desk.

He waved Ianto goodbye and walked out of the office, leaving Ianto alone with his thoughts.

°oOo°

Matt left the Torchwood Building and got into a waiting taxi, which quickly drove off after the brown-haired man gave the taxi driver an address. Leaning back in the back seat, he waited until the Torchwood Building was no longer in sight, then took out his mobile and dialled a number well-known to him, waiting for someone to pick up.

Finally, after a few seconds, he heard a click and a well-known voice answering.

"Yeah, it's me. I just wanted to let you know that I'm back since midnight and I have some very important news for you…"

°oOo°

As soon as his friend had left, Ianto's calm demeanour slowly started to crumble. Breathing heavily, he sat down and leaned against the back of his comfy office chair, staring once more at the photo in front of him. Had it really been 8 months since his final visit in Cardiff?

It just seemed like yesterday when the Welshman had been there for the last time.

When the Rift had opened on that fateful day, he had already been on his way to London. But apparently he hadn't been away far enough because he was still near enough to feel the effects of the accompanying earth quake. It had been a real trouble to stay on the road and not to crash somewhere into the crash barrier. But Ianto had even managed to stop the car without any damage.

Through the rear-view mirror he had seen the white light of the outbreak and instinctively reached for his mobile, dialling a well-known number. But there had been nothing, no dialling tone or even an engaged tone. Absolutely nothing. Ianto knew it was a lost cause to continue, because the underground base of Torchwood 3 would the first to be destroyed, should the Rift ever open as it currently had.

The next thing the Welshman knew that he had been standing next to his car, watching the city burn from various fires which the eruption had caused. He even didn't know how he had gotten back to London into his apartment. It had taken him more than five months to get over this shock. A two months vacation with his cousin Owen had helped greatly and left him able to cope with what had happened.

But now he wasn't sure if he really had gotten over it. The memories still hurt a lot and there was no way that he could go back in time and change what had happened.

Hearing the voices of his colleagues, Ianto hastily put the photo in one of his drawers and locked it before he stood up and left his office, taking a clipboard with him.

"Morning, Ianto!" it came from different directions.

"Morning! Please follow me!" he greeted back and walked into an empty part of the area, the others following him.

There the Welshman stopped and waited for the others to form a circle around him.

"Alright, guys, time for the daily ritual! Most of you may have noticed the new crates at the entrance. It's a new shipment, which just arrived from Cardiff and what was left of Torchwood 3."

Ianto paused here for a moment and waited for his words to sink in. He noticed that several of his colleagues exchanged meaningful glances and did not wonder about that. After all, he wasn't the only one who had lost someone close that day.

"Yvonne wants the artefacts categorized and analyzed as soon as possible. I hope I have made myself clear. If you have any questions, just ask. If not, then let's set to work."

Since no one had questions, Ianto went back to his office where he put off his jacket and put on a white lab coat. Leaving his office once more, he fetched a crowbar and walked with two of his colleagues to the first crate. Although the thought of the crates being from his now least favourite city still bothered him slightly, his curiosity as head archivist predominated.

After all, he didn't get everyday the chance to find out what had been in Torchwood 3's archives, which, by the way, had been more than thrice as big as the London Archive. And maybe he'd find out if one of these artefacts had something to do with the Rift eruption.

°oOo°

Later that evening.

The pub was already full, when Ianto entered it, looking more relaxed than he was hours ago. Looking around for his friend, he found him sitting at the counter, where he seemed to be busy with his mobile, a large glass of beer standing in front of him.

The Welshman took the empty seat next to him and ordered one for himself. Noticing, that his friend hadn't noticed his arrival, he snatched the mobile out of his friend's hand to get his attention.

"Hey Matt, I had no idea that your mobile is that fascinating." He said rather loudly, throwing a glance at the display, where he could see various unread text messages.

Matt, who really hadn't paid attention to his surroundings, suddenly became aware of the sudden lack of weight in his hand, where only moments ago his mobile had been. Only then he saw the newcomer sitting next to him… holding his mobile phone.

"Hey, that's mine!" Matt protested and snatched it back, letting it vanish into his pocket.

Ianto chuckled and sipped from his pint.

Matt did the same and then faced Ianto.

"So, how is work going? Did you already find something interesting?" he finally asked.

The Welshman shrugged.

"No! At least not the things Yvonne is looking for. Surprisingly, most of the artefacts turned out to be the alien equivalents of ordinary household objects like toasters and vacuum cleaners. But there are no medical objects at all! I don't know what Yvonne was looking for but they were certainly not in the Cardiff Archives."

"I see. So I worked two months for nothing. Well, Yvonne knows how to keep someone busy." Matt sighed with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

He took his glass and emptied in one large gulp, much to Ianto's worry.

"Are you alright? You look a bit pale!" he asked.

"It's nothing. I'm just a little bit tired." Matt replied.

Ianto didn't believe him a word, but didn't pressure him further.

Suddenly Matt's phone beeped and he took it out of his pocket to read the text message which he had just received. In the meantime, Ianto looked at the TV above the counter, where one of the public stations was broadcasting the news report.

All of a sudden, the pub became very quiet, when the newsreader announced some breaking news.

"…Mickey Smith is dead. Apparently, he was killed during a car crash on his way to Scotland where he was supposed to visit some relatives. He was dead on the spot. Mickey Smith became famous as the youngest man on Earth. His place is now taken by seventeen-year-old Rose Tyler from London…"

At this point, the innkeeper turned off the TV and the silence in the background grew to a deafening murmuring and crying.

Ianto ignored it and turned his attention back to his beer.

"Bad news, don't you think?" Matt asked.

"Yeah. It's just that I have this feeling that all what is going on at the moment is the beginning of the end of days." The Welshman answered, his finger absently playing with the brim of his glass.

"I didn't take you for a religious man, Ianto Jones!" his friend replied.

"Nah, I'm just a man who lost all hope."

"I see."

Both men grew silent again and ordered another round of alcoholic beverages.

A few hours later, two figures stumbled out of the now closed pub. Ianto, who luckily had stopped after their second round, supported Matt, who hadn't been as wise as Ianto and drunk twice as much as Ianto.

"Okay, we better call a taxi to get you home in one piece. Maybe you shouldn't have drunk so much!" Ianto said, while waving at a taxicab nearby.

"S'okay! Sanks for your 'elp, Yan!" Matt replied drunkenly, trying not to stumble over his own feet.

Ianto shook his head and strengthened his grip to prevent his friend from falling over.

The black car started his engine, headlights on, and drove slowly over to the two men. Arriving there, the driver got out.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Yes, thanks." The Welshman said.

The taxi driver opened the back door and took Matt from Ianto, settling him into one of the backseats. Then Ianto also got in before the driver closed the door and went back to sit down into his own seat.

"So, where do you want to go to, son?" the older man asked.

Ianto gave Matt's address to the man and leaned back. Just then he noticed that he and Matt weren't the only ones in the taxi.

Right next to him sat a black-clothed, hooded figure. It was a woman as far as he could see by the stature.

"Excuse me, madam, but this is our taxi. What are you doing in here?" he demanded.

The woman chuckled.

"I know. But I'm sure you won't mind. Besides, I've been waiting for you!" she said.

Ianto sucked in a deep breath and his eyes became impossibly wide. He knew that voice. But it was impossible.

The woman chuckled again and removed the hood from her head. Ianto looked in shock at her, his eyes taking in her features. She had a large scar on her right cheek, but otherwise nothing had changed. It was still the face of Lisa Hallett that was smiling back at him.

"Hello Ianto! It's been a while!"

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I'm sorry for the delay, but I haven't been feeling well the last few weeks and therefore I wasn't able to update. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope the next update won't take too long.

Do you like it? Do you hate it? Want more? Just write me. Reviews are much appreciated.

^^ Terrenis


	3. Unexpected Revelations 1

There's always Hope

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

By Terrenis

Chapter II – Unexpected Revelations 1

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Ianto stared in shock at the face of the woman, whom he had believed dead for long eight months.

"How…?"

It was the only word, which came out of his mouth, because the rest refused to come out after that.

Lisa smiled at her ex-husband.

"That's a long story and one that we shouldn't discuss in a taxi. Besides, I think Matt needs a large pot of coffee and an equally big bottle of aspirin. Raj, take us please to Matt's flat as quick as possible!" She said to the taxi driver.

This one just nodded and stepped on the gas pedal.

°oOo°

Half an hour later in Matt's flat.

"Oh god, my head…! I feel like someone's dancing tango on my brain!" Matt groaned.

He was sitting slumped in his favourite armchair, his third cup of coffee in his hand, while Lisa and Ianto, who at last seemed to have overcome his initial shock, sat on the couch and Rajesh, the taxi driver, leaned against the wall.

"Serves you right! I told you not to drink so much!" Ianto replied.

Matt just rolled his eyes, groaning in the process, and emptied his cup.

"And I would like to get some answers now! How is it that you're not dead?" The Welshman demanded slightly angry while tapping his fingers impatiently on the armrest of the couch.

"Okay, you have every right to be upset, Ianto but it might take a while to explain everything to you!" Lisa said.

"Oh, don't stop because of me! We have the whole weekend, if necessary!" Ianto said furiously.

The dark-skinned woman sighed and exchanged glances with Matt and Rajesh before she continued.

"Fine, I'll tell you what happened on that day in Cardiff, although you might not like what I have to say. It started all after I got that call from Gwen and you left..."

OoOoOoO

8 months earlier. Cardiff, Wales.

Lisa threw a last glance at her ex-husband, before she opened the door to the tourist office and stepped in, closing the door after her and locking it immediately. For a moment, she watched him leaving before she turned and went behind the counter, pressing a hidden button there, which opened a secret door in front of her.

The dark-skinned woman stepped through and walked on, making her way through a maze of tunnels and stairs, until she reached a big cog door, which opened automatically at her appearance. Lisa stepped through and entered a gigantic underground complex full of offices and lots of technology, including several single workstations, which were occupied by half a dozen men and women, all of them working busily.

Lisa went to the nearest station, where a brown-haired woman in her early thirties was typing something.

"Okay, Gwen, you said Martha needed something from the archives. Where is she anyway?" The dark-skinned woman asked the other one.

"She's waiting in the med bay. Oh, and there's something else. You know I have this appointment with my doctor in half an hour. But when I tried to use the lift five minutes ago, he didn't work. Something is blocking him. I watched the CCTV footage and you have to see this."

Gwen opened up another computer window and showed Lisa the pictures from above. The dark-skinned woman frowned, because she had never seen anything like this before.

"Looks like a…blue telephone box! But why is it standing exactly on our lift?" she whispered.

"Do you think it's an alien ship?"

"I have no idea. Let Gareth watch it and take the normal way out. I'll take care of it when I'm back."

"All right, I'll see you tomorrow." Gwen said, shutting down the window and grabbing her handbag.

"See you!" Lisa replied, before making her way to the med bay.

Gwen watched her go and chatted for a few more minutes with her colleague, before leaving the complex the same way Lisa got in…

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"Whoa, wait a minute. A blue box? You don't really think it was *him*? Why didn't you tell Yvonne? You know her orders for the possibility of *his* appearance." Ianto exclaimed.

"No, I did not, at least until Martha and I went to the Archives. And besides, I don't think Yvonne does need to know everything!" Lisa answered with a strange tone in her voice which didn't go unnoticed by Ianto.

"What are you trying to say?" he asked cautiously.

"Not now. I'll tell you later!"

Lisa's tone made it clear that this was a topic which in any case would be discussed later. So Ianto listened quietly as his ex-wife continued her story.

OoOoOoO

Another dark-skinned, young woman was waiting on the upper level of the med bay, sitting on top of the stairs that led downstairs to the actual bay, looking through one of her folders. When Lisa arrived, she got up to greet the other woman.

"Hey Martha!"

"Hey, how did it go? I assume Ianto didn't take it too well."

"No, surprisingly he took it better than I imagined. But what do you expect? You don't get divorced every day. But enough of that….Gwen said, you need something from the archives?" Lisa replied.

"Yes, I need that alien microscope, which we found two months ago, for my series of experiments. I think I'm really on the point of making a breakthrough in my research." Martha exclaimed.

"Really? Well, in that case, we better get to the archive as quick as possible."

Both women left the med bay and went right to a door, which marked the entrance to the most upper level. Lisa took out a small card out of the pocket of her jacket and held it in front of the scanner next to the door panel. It beeped slightly before the sound of a door unlocking could be heard.

Both women entered the small room, which was behind the door and almost empty except for a desk with a PC on it and a chair, on which Lisa immediately sat down and started to type something on the keyboard.

"Okay, let's see where I filed it…!" she said, scrolling through one file after the other, until she finally let out a cry of triumph.

"Hah, got it! It's the first shelf on Sublevel 20. Let's go!" Lisa exclaimed.

With these words she opened another hidden door with her ID-card, which revealed a hidden lift. After stepping in, the doors closed silently behind the two women, taking them deep down into the Archives.

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So, that'll be all for now. I decided to split this chapter or else it'd have been too long for my taste. Who knows when I will be able to post the next part? Let's just say, CoE Day 4 is airing next week and knowing the outcome of this particular episode, I just know that the next writer's block is not far away.

Do you like it? Do you hate it? Want more? Just write me. Reviews are much appreciated.

^^ Terrenis


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